This invention is in the field of sewing machines; more particularly, it is concerned with an improved feed system for a sewing machine.
In a feed system for a sewing machine it is desirable that the parts thereof be both strong and have a low inertia so as to limit the power requirements to operate the same and the effort required to regulate the same. This would be particularly true in those sewing machines having what is known as a cam controlled feed system in which patterns may be formed having a variable feed component, either to reduce the wear on a cam which contains the feed information or to reduce the loading on a linear motor which implements the feed information derived from an electronic static memory.
Further, an ideal feed system is adaptable to use in a tubular bed in which the feed system is compact enough to fit within a housing which can extend to the interior of a sleeve, for example. A feature in a household sewing machine in which a flat bed machine is convertible to a tubular bed configuration has shown increasing popularity with the home sewer because of the adaptability of such a machine to many stitching tasks in the home, particularly in the manufacture of clothes.
What is required is a sewing machine which exhibits the required strength while maintaining a low inertia and a compactness which enables its use in a tubular bed. Further, such an arrangement should be provided in an economical and versatile form of construction.